Los Angeles fair aims to attract foreign students

Staff writer, with CNA, LOS ANGELES

Sat, Oct 27, 2012 - Page 3

The government is holding an education fair in the US for the first time today, the Ministry of Education said.

More than 30 representatives from 15 universities and colleges will take part in the fair, which is being held at the Culture Center of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles, said Minister of Education Chiang Wei-ling (蔣偉寧), who heads the fair delegation.

One of the strengths of Taiwan’s higher education sector is its excellent quality, evidenced by the fact that more than 10 of its universities and colleges are ranked among the world’s top 1 percent, Chiang said, while tuition fees and the cost of living are far lower than they are in the US.

Another advantage the nation can offer is a perfect Mandarin-learning environment, said Lin Wen-tong (林文通), chief of the ministry’s Bureau of International Cultural and Educational Relations, and a member of the delegation. Most universities and colleges in the nation now provide Mandarin-language programs to increase their appeal to foreign students, Lin said.

Meanwhile, 85 all-English programs are available so foreign students can readily connect with Taiwan’s higher education services, the ministry said.

More than 50,000 foreign students are currently enrolled in higher education programs in Taiwan, 3,500 of whom are from the US. This makes the US the sixth-largest source of international students after Malaysia, Macau, Vietnam and Japan, the ministry said.

If the fair in Los Angeles is successful, Taiwan will hold additional fairs in New York and Chicago, said delegation member Chen Hui-mei (陳惠美), who works for the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education.